David Jenkins
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| posted on 11/4/11 at 03:19 PM |
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Framing nailer
I've come to the conclusion that my poor old shed is dead... tatty, rotting, not worth the effort of repairing it. We'd been thinking
about getting a bigger one anyway, as it's getting a bit crowded in there! So we looked at the slab of concrete it sits on, and we reckon that
we can go up from an 8' x 6' to a 10' x 8'. So we go and look at the local shed suppliers - and found that they vary from
£1100 to £1500, and their construction and materials leave a lot to be desired! For example, many use coarse chipboard for the floor and roof, with
just a layer of cheap roofing felt nailed on top.
Now I'm a reasonably competent wood butcher, so I went hunting for DIY plans on't internet - came up with
this one. It looks well within my capabilities, and the materials look like they're what
I'm after (ply floor & 'under-roof', but especially the corrugated roof). This could be built from these web pages, although
the PDF plans are only $5. Looking at the materials list, I can get everything I need for less than half of the cost of a ready-made shed. It's
also quite a flexible design, so I can easily put the door and window elsewhere if required.
There are a LOT of nails in this project, and it I try to do this by hand it'll take me ages. If I use a nail gun I can probably get the bulk
of it done in one day (I've got a circular saw to do most of the wood butchery, plus a fair set of hand saws and chisels). I've got a
decent compressor and some nice long hoses, plus a brad/staple nailer for the light stuff, so all I need is a suitable nailer.
I don't know much about framing nailers, except that they can be expensive. Can anyone help me out with a beginner's guide? The sort of
things I need to know are:
1. Do I really need a 'framing nailer' or should I be looking for something else?
2. Which are the good makes, and which are the 'avoid' ones? I've seen the Paslode self-powered ones, but their running costs seem
steep - and as I've got a compressor anyway I might as well go air-powered.
3. Are there nails that can be used in many different nailers, or do you have to buy a matching brand for the gun? Or to put that another way, Are
there nailers that can use general-purpose nails?
4. Any good suppliers to buy one from?
Cheers for all help!
David
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tegwin
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| posted on 11/4/11 at 03:30 PM |
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I just made a new roof for my garage.... Not a single nail insight.... Borrowed my old mans Bosch battery drill..... that was pretty good at
getting screws into the angles between timbers and noggins etc....
I would have thought it would be more than enough for the building of a shed...
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Would the last person who leaves the country please switch off the lights and close the door!
www.verticalhorizonsmedia.tv
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Peteff
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| posted on 11/4/11 at 03:50 PM |
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Back in the olden days when we built sheds on the allotments we used to use a hammer to knock nails in  You can put a 2" nail in with 2 hits
and it is very satisfying to do. Make your own plan up, a pent roof sloping from front to back is easier to do than an apex and use sheets for the
sides instead of boards and it will support itself with a lot less ribs inside.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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blakep82
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| posted on 11/4/11 at 03:53 PM |
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does it need a ply foor? if its on concrete, i'd just find a way to fix the sides to the concrete floor. although i don't know how that
affects the ridgidity of the walls... and i've got a double garage, so its something i'm not going to have to come across... 
if its on beams to hold the floor off the ground, to stop damp then its going to get a bit bendy, and if its on the ground it'll get wet and
start rotting after a while i'd have thought.
[Edited on 11/4/11 by blakep82]
________________________
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don't write OT on a new thread title, you're creating the topic, everything you write is very much ON topic!
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 11/4/11 at 03:53 PM |
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A cardboard box - you were lucky! (sorry - wrong sketch  )
I'm under orders to make something that looks tidy in the garden. I have a good selection of hammers - but I can do a whole side of a shed in
the time it would take to line up a piece with one hand, hold the nail with the second, and drive the nail home with the... hang on, that won't
work.
There are very good reasons why framers use a nailer!
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HowardB
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| posted on 11/4/11 at 03:55 PM |
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I'd second the "By hand" method, mate and I built a shed that looked like a guards van over the a weekend. All the nails were by
hand, and the screws by cordless drill.
It looked good, was all treated timber and even had a nice curved roof!
hth
Howard
Fisher Fury was 2000 Zetec - now a 1600 (it Lives again and goes zoom)
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HowardB
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| posted on 11/4/11 at 04:03 PM |
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ok, just looked at the plans,.... no wonder you might want a nailer,..
my shed is 16' x 6' (don't ask) but it is on 3X2" bearers ever 18" for the floor, with 1" T&G flooring. The
walls are similar, being a frame made of 3x2" timber with verticals every 18", giving,..
_____
I I I I I
I I I I I
that sort of thing, and it has 3/4" T&G walls rather than ship lap, excellent, now 12 years old, and cost less than I thought,..
so if I were you I'd do a DIY, and get a better shed than one can buy
(ps don't get a metal one the condensation can be awful)
Howard
Fisher Fury was 2000 Zetec - now a 1600 (it Lives again and goes zoom)
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HowardB
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| posted on 11/4/11 at 04:06 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by David Jenkins
A cardboard box - you were lucky! (sorry - wrong sketch )
I'm under orders to make something that looks tidy in the garden. I have a good selection of hammers - but I can do a whole side of a shed in
the time it would take to line up a piece with one hand, hold the nail with the second, and drive the nail home with the... hang on, that won't
work.
There are very good reasons why framers use a nailer!
yes, because it is easy to drive a nail in below the surface of the wood with a nailer.
I am sure that you can hire them,... speedy hire?
Still reckon on plan, prepare, cut, line it up and hit it with a hammer!
get up before I went to bed and work 25 hours down pit,.. you're right, - wrong sketch
Howard
Fisher Fury was 2000 Zetec - now a 1600 (it Lives again and goes zoom)
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Mr Whippy
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| posted on 11/4/11 at 04:12 PM |
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I have a paslode nail gun or frame gun as some call them, which is expensive and nails are pricey. It main purpose is to do house builds where the
cost over time can be justified. For small projects I'd use screws rather than nails, I have an automatic screw gun too which is for
plasterboard and putting down floor boards, they are a lot cheaper than the nail gun as is the packs of screws. My type of nailgun is very loud, they
are really a single cylinder LPG engine with a hammer at the end of the crank so not much use inside unless you wear ear protection and can annoy
neighbours.
the machines I have are these, both work well but are suited to different things -
It's worth saying that the nailgun is a formidable beast and can fire nails right out of sight or right through timber into your hand! so need
to be used very carefully and only into wood over and inch thick.
[Edited on 11/4/11 by Mr Whippy]
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ashg
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| posted on 11/4/11 at 05:47 PM |
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got my little 10X8 from Ace sheds £750. upgraded to double doors thicker shiplap and frame and 6ft at the lowest point and better felt.
best bit was it took about an hour to put up compared to days/weeks making one.
im just starting to build a new 30x30ft workshop as my old one is rotten, i have got an air nail gun that runs off the compressor which will most
things
looks like this
http://www.screwfix.com/p/stanley-apc-bn-50mm-brad-nailer-230v/91803#
Anything With Tits or Wheels Will cost you MONEY!!
Haynes Roadster (Finished)
Exocet (Finished & Sold)
New Project (Started)
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